Hillcrest Poutine Shop Mess Royale To Shutter & Relocate

Mess Royale, the Montreal-inspired eatery that opened in Hillcrest last April and specialized in iconic Canadian eats, from wood oven baked bagels to variations on gravy and cheese curd-topped poutine, will shutter this Sunday, March 6.

Owner Hugo Tassone told Eater that he is currently considering several new locations, and hopes to reopen Mess Royale by Summer 2016 in a different neighborhood that's more densely packed with bars, where the eatery can develop a late night business. Until then, Mess Royale will continue to be a vendor at the Valley View Casino Center (Sports Arena).

Location Matters' Mike Spilky, who facilitated the sale of the University Avenue space to a yet-undisclosed new restaurant tenant said, "It’s a shame that Mess Royale did not garner enough of a customer base in this location to see it through as a long term business model. There were plenty of very loyal customers, just not enough; the eatery will be looking for another spot in more of a bar-crawl area like Pacific Beach or North Park."